Fixed
Seagull noise
Sent to Brighton and Hove City Council 1 minute later. FixMyStreet ref: 26682.
Seagull nests abound in the street and no one gets any sleep from 4 a.m. onwards as they fight and screech. Can the council provide any professional help with fitting of roof spikes, nets etc to persuade seagull colony to move on? Palmeira aleady a noisy street with its four lanes of parked cars and drivers coming and going day and night. Noise a serious problem.
Tweet
Share
Updates
-
Any chance you could keep informed of this? Tidy street is much the same!
Thanks!
-
Oh boo, you miserable old gits! If you don't like the seagulls, move away from the sea! It's all part of the charm of Brighton.
-
For FC to be so flippant he obviously does not get woken up in the early hours of the morning every day in summer. FC still has his sense of humor, for some of us sleep deprivation is leading to stress, depression and anger issues. Unfortunately moving is not always an option, spikes only work where they are fitted and even double glazing doesn't stop the noise. But the good news for FC is that as it only takes 3 years for a seagull chick to get to breeding maturity, and they have no predators, and at the rate they are taking over Brighton they will soon move into his area and he can also experience their noisy night fights, dustbin bag littering, guano on washing, killing of other birds (they killed all the duckings at Queens Park) and the dents in his car roofs when the seagulls get annoyed by their own reflection. When I moved to my street there were no seagulls 10 years on they nest on most houses.
-
Seriously, you live by the sea side. What do you want? If you don't like seagulls, move away from the sea! The council will not start a cull of seagulls just because you "can't sleep"! Surely if the street is that noisy already, they all just drown each other out? I really don't see a problem here. Not for the council, anyway. For YOU maybe, or your landlord. Maybe fit the spikes yourself if there is problem. But what's the stop the seagulls resting on your neighbours roof?
-
I disagree with FC entirely. I have lived near the sea my entire life (in various places/countries) and I have never seen anything as noisy, messy or brash as the seagulls in Brighton. Every bin day theres crap on loads of streets (not just Tidy Street) and thier noise is plainly increadible, I think if the council did want to help the first step would be to be prompt in picking up the rubbish, but in reality the damage is done way before the binmen arrive (even if they are on time). I really dont see a solution to this problem except a cull really as there are clearly far too many of them inland because of the treats of our rubbish and the protection they get from people like FC.
Lucklily enough im moving to Barcelona in a month so it wont be a problem (im not moving because of the seagulls but its certainly a bonus).
And FC, yes, I know they have seagulls there to but I can tell you they dont make half the noise or do half the damage that these ones do!
Ian
-
So what do you want? A Firing Squad along the seafront? Taking out any seagull that dares to go near your road? I live pretty much ON the seafront and don't have any seagull problems. There must be something in your street attracting them if it's all as bad as you say. And if there is, sort THAT out first.
The fact remains that the council don't care about spending money on spikes on buildings. That is, ultimately, your responsibility. They won't stop you doing it. But trying to get tax payers money to pay for your own spikes...? Maybe I'll try and get some tax payers money to build some fences in my garden to keep the black cat out that keep tormenting my own cats and stopping them from sleeping?
-
FC no one is suggesting a firing squad or that the council funds spikes but the council could help to find solutions or provide information & advice on how to minimise the problem. Perhaps lett ing people know that feeding seagulls is not a good idea, and that bin bags act as take away bags. Distance from the sea is not the gulls criteria for good nesting sites, and luckily for you they don't like your neighborhood, so it is easy for you to pooh pooh something you haven't experienced. Why don't you visit one of the hots spots one morning, and see what it is really like?
Ian, do you need any company in Barcelona? -
I live in Glasgow..nowhere near the sea, and I'm on the internet searching for a solution to this problem at 5.34am. It is ruining our life 3am and we are all up.This is every night. And they are nesting in a roof across the road. Totally agree and sympathise with you all.
-
I too am trawling the net for a seagull solution.... I live on Over Street by Brighton Station and it's a freaking nightmare. I live on the top floor and there is constant noise from 4am ish onwards till about 1am. I've measured the noise levels and it exceeds the EPA noise levels. I reported it to the EPA but they won't do anything. Falconry looks good, heh heh. I did hear that the year before last Brighton and Hove Council had decided on a cull but last years numbers (probably due to cold summer) put them off. Did you know seagull population is increasing by 30% each year, they give birth to up to 2 hatchlings which then return to the same breeding nest, so the problem enevr goes away, only gets worse. Nets and spikes for all streets is the way to go. It would then move the birds to the parks or beach rather than the chimney pots, which is where the real problem is FC. I've no problem with the seaguulls in brighton, just the noise 5metres from my window all night long, it's affecting my sleep and causing me headaches and extreme tiredness.
-
To FC - whats the point of having a website where one can voice a complaint or problem when some idiot comes along and says "stop comlaining..."... you sound so very much like our rubbish council and the councillers on it....hmmm, do you work for the council ?
-
I've got the same problem in Canterbury, which is 8 miles from the sea. Surely something can be done?
-
We too live in Brighton and I must agree that sometimes the noise is unbearable. Infact, it is the mornings (around 5am) that the seagulls start with their screeching and noise which is becoming annoying. It also doesn't help that the neighbours feed them from the top floor of their flat from the window sill - which keeps them coming back screeching for food. Aaarrggh!!
-
We live in Hove, Firkinville ;)
And yes, it is now becoming too difficult to simply ignore it. The worst is how helpless we all seem against those clever creatures.Surely, the amount of people who will go ahead with wiring their roofs up, placing nets ect. is limited. Clearly, there needs to be some action taken. Perhaps not a cull if gulls' numbers in total have been diminishing but forcing them to nest elsewhere would be ideal. NHS has been getting rid of birds abound Worthing Hospital by having a falcon show up every now and again. Council SHOULD be directly involved every year, despite temperatures in summer. Surely, given the cost of living in B&H we face every year, something needs to be done by our "tax collectors" and please FC, keep your comments to yourself. They serve nothing.
Obsessive bird lover? You can show it contributing to RSPB.
Cheers All. Let's keep the faith; earplugs may have to do for now... -
Seagulls are getting way too aggressive in Brighton. While walking along the prom, one flew at my daughter and got its claws caught in her hair. Fortunately we managed to get the bird off without too much hair loss!
-
It seems that this issue has gained momentum since i first stumbled across it a year ago. I can only assume that this is because more and more people are being adversly affected by these noisy things. Although it no longer affects me (im living in barcelona now), i would certainly like to see something done about this. Do the council actually read any of this?
-
I am both happy and sad that I am not the only person being affected by the terrible noise of the ever growing and increasingly aggressive population of seagulls in Brighton.
All affected y this problem have my sympathies.
This is not good enough – there is no council response and this is evidently a problem that will only get worse.
Firm action is needed if we are not going to see citizens take matters into their own hands.
-
Nothing wrong with taking matters into your own hands if TPTB (the powers that be) cannot or do not do anything... Im with the hawks.... but i see problems with 'keeping' them also (ie, who owns a hawk?)... is it unreasonalble to ask for a swift solution? Again, this affects me no longer... but a solution that is clearly long overdue....
Ian Harrigan
-
Hi I live in Brighton on the seafront and agree totally the gull situation should be dealt with by the council, preferably a cull. I come from a large fishing village elsewhere and there is not such a problem with gulls. However in a big city such as Brighton & Hove the amount of rubbish available as food to the gulls has led to them increasing in number and perhaps slowly but surely evolving into a much more of a large pest. A humane cull is the solution. We have falcons on top of our building which appears to keep them from at least congregating on our balconies. However the amount of scavanging by these birds and the mess they create unbelievable. I seen two this morning on the way to work and they were so large it seemed unnatural. They are having similar problems across Scotland and there are reports of such birds becoming aggressive towards humans.
-
Interesting article on the Hawks
http://news.bbc.co.uk/ 1/ hi/ wales/ north_east/ 8184094.stm
-
I too have been searching the net to see if anyone is having the same bad experience and if anything can be done. I live in Brighton in New England Quarter close to tidy street and must agree. It is seriously getting out of hand. It is not possible to ignore the noise anymore and really hard to get any sleep at dawn or dusk - which doesn't leave a lot of time to sleep in summer!
I also agree that the sheer number of the birds are naturally pushing them to be more aggressive and fearless.
The problem has become progressively worse over the last 3 years and I agree that something needs to be done. A cull and educating residents and tourists sound to be the best ideas yet.
-
Any idea how to progress this? I'm leaving Brighton in Oct for 9 months but am happy to help in any way, approach the council/MP etc
-
I have been thinking the last few weeks and getting together a paper based petition. An online one just wouldn't get to all the people, however I think I don't mind door to door knocking in my area (North Laines) to gain signatures. Although probably after the worst part of the seagul season by the time it gets to the council it may help persuade them to do something for next year.
-
I'm totally down with signing anything or joining any group in a bid to bring a resolution to this gull related nighmare. Makes it worse that I have to keep my windows open during humid nights thus making the bird racket even worse.
I live in Queen's Park and have seen gull numbers rocket. What was once a pleasant park where we enjoyed feeding the ducks has become covered in bird poo with 20 gulls to every duck/goose. You can't feed then ducks/geese anymore cos the gulls just attack them.
I'm also up for fund raising to help pay for hawks or spikes or anything which can help rid this town of this feathered scourge.
I'm from Falmouth in Cornwall, where the gull problem is minimal....
Maybe we should start a facebook group ...?
-
I've set up the Brighton Seagull Cull group on Facebook - join me. Once we've got a decent number of us onboard then I'll contact The Argus and get them to do a story about it.......doubt anything will happen, but at least we can say we tried.
-
i think fc is clearly an idiot,i live in london,our seagull problem is accute.We hear them all the time screeching madly,not just in the day,but also through the night.They are vicious,i've seen them attack dogs and dive bomb people, we need to take the law into our hands and shot 'em down!
-
I might be an "idiot", but I'd much rather hear the screaming of the seagulls than the incessant clucking of a bunch of busy-bodies with nothing better to do than moan about a bird!
Perhaps you should just all get on with your lives and move on from it.
-
What about your cat FC... do i not recollect he was in need of some kind of protection? Please behave and understand that its not malice its frustration and communication that warrants this type of forum... Would it not be valid to assume that the "busy body" is not the person complaining at 5am about the noise but the person reading, and consequently having a problem with those complaints... are you really a seagull breeder? No harm... no foul... just have them in your bedroom for a year or two...
-
Check out www.bird-stop.co.uk they will help.Get something sorted before March, or they will be back in larger numbers next year.
-
Its getting personal folks, FC, I live in Ramsgate and i suffer with the same problem whats worse we have a disused gas storage site near us, the gulls love to roost on except the ones that are nesting on our roofs the fights continue all night and day and what makes it worse thy are looking for nest sites already so its going to be a very long season for us. Don't get me wrong i love to hear the gulls call as i am sat on the beach, a nesting gull is something else the calls the chatter the young ones constant whistle it does get to you.A 4.30 am wake up call is just to much
-
Bird stop isn't the answer. When I live there's high rise buildings and a massive flat roof BT building and street after street of buildings where they all gather. Yes I could protect my own roof, but my distraction comes from a whole neighbourhood of gulls squawking in unison.
Not long until it all starts again :-(
-
Please visit our website
www.gullguard.uk.com Situated in kent, we have been in business for 12 years protecting roofs from seagulls nesting. Spikes will NOT work. You are wasting your money. Herring Gulls are way too powerful a bird to let a few little spikes stand in their way. All our products are bird friendly. We will be happy to advise if you care to get in touch. -
I live in Glasgow, and have been awake since 3:30, The seagulls have returned again. This is the 5th year. We hardly get much of a summer up here and what little we get is spoiled by gulls. Screaming 24/7 and it's not reached it's worst point yet. March- October every year. I'm so fed up, my dog who is a collie and confident loves being in the garden but he is terrified of them. He cowers under the decking. We can't have BBQ's now, because gulls gather on our fence, hut and roof waiting to swoop. I've lived in a flat my whole life and 8 yrs ago bought a house with a garden( my dream) and now I'm thinking about selling up because I can't stand the gull problem any longer, my husband, myself and two teenagers are grouchy in the summer due to sleep deprivation. So before ppl call me a busybody and whinger, please try and imagine what it's like for us.
-
Hi,
Our Nightmare continues.
Has anyone seen any improvement or any attempts of improvement by Council? I personally only see more gull chicks where I live (Brunswick Pl), nothing has been done.If anything, now seems as though there were more birds around, more gulls, more pigeons.
How can we take this further? I am happy to sign a petition, contribute to hiring a bird of pray...There are hundreds of people suffering from sleep deprivation, those hundreds happen to live in high band tax area generously contributing to the budget.
Strangely, if we were to take matters into our hands, there would be an army of civil servants quoting tons of paragraphs.... there seems to be no paragraph to help those who's money keep this town going. Forgive this ranting but I have had so very little sleep for countless days now.
Regards
-
It seems you people just love to moan .... I've given you our website www.gullguard.uk.com but none of you have bothered to visit it to get a solution to your problem. Gulls are very admirable birds. They live for thirty years (yes 30),pair for life and always come back to the same nesting site. Their chicks will reach maturity in three years, pair off and nest close by their parents. A huge colony forms all looking out for each other. We have solutions for your chimneys, your flat roofs and roof valleys. Visit our website - we are only a call away....
-
I've visited your website and your 'solutions' aren't fit for purpose. If my problem was limited to just a couple of gulls on my roof then maybe, but I live bang in the middle of a breeding area and the birds accupy dozens if not hundreds of roofs, so unless the whole area got involved then spikes on just one roof is pointless.
I admire a great many animals, but if any of them ripped my bins open, constantly fouled on my car and kepte awake for months with incesant screeching I'd have a problem with them too.
One the council will be forced to act as the problem WILL get out hand, until then I'll give your solutions a miss thanks.
-
i live in the centre of edinburgh and this problem is so frustrating with no help at all from council. i am so shattered with getting woken up at 3.30am every morning with the high pitched screeching from theses bird's as i type this at 1.50pm they are still screeching and have been all day... im dreading when the festival starts as the bird's will be going mad at 11.00pm every night because of the firework's after the tattoo finishe's evey night, it's ok for people on this page to say stop moaning easier said than done when you have to live with it, 7 years ago i stayed cloeser to the sea than i do now and never heard nothing like what im listening to here in the centre of town, something should be done about this but because they're protected nothing can be done or so the council told me, but i bet them in the council get a good night's sleep. and to be honest there isn't really any rubbish lying about in the street's as we have those big bucket's every where now so why do they keep coming into the centre of town,and if one more person tell's me the reason why they screech is because they're looking for water i don't believe that, it can pour with rain here in edinburgh for day's and they still screech
-
@Debbie Taylor: it seems as though the seagulls have stolen the punctuation from your last post. This is a serious problem and I will get right on it.
In the mean time, you can borrow some of mine
. , ! . . . ! , , " . . " ? ! ! : . . : , , '
Thanks
-
@anonymous- This is a forum about gull problems, not a grammar lesson. Take your smarmy comments elsewhere.
Debbie, the gulls that are bugging us are nesting by the canal, so that throws the water theory out.
We're demented. The chicks have hatched and the gulls are at their most vicious and noisiest. Our decking is fulla seagull shit, as is the our washing. We're so miserable. I totally sympathise with u x -
anonymous..have i said anything to upset you or insult you? know so what is you're problem? better still don't answer beacause im not going to lower myself to you're level, but as you can see i've got the ball's to put my name up not hide away mr/mrs anonymous... cheer's for that angela but it poured with rain here at tea time and they were still going nut's. i also live two minutes from a canal it's nearly 11.40pm and they're still screeching so i think i've got a long sleepless night in front of me again. roll on the winter time is all i can say
-
been awake all night, too muggy to sleep with the windows closed and with them open I feel like my bed is on a cliff somewhere. I rang the council the other day and they told me its the owners of the buildings where the gulls are nesting, who are responsible for taking preventitve measures. I explained it was warehouses, mostly empty and why would they bother spending money to prevent them nesting, they don't live or even work at the premises. Oh dear she said. argghh
-
I sympathise with both sides! I love birds, and seagulls are so intelligent and entertaining. But OH! I live beside the harbour of a fishing village in Cornwall and I can assure any doubters; the noise throughout the summer months is enough to drive the most laid-back soul to the brink of insanity!!!! It continues almost around the clock here! They have nests on EVERY roof, and no amount of double-glazing (or earplugs!) does any good. Yes, if you have the luck to live near the ocean you must accept this drawback, but I have to say, I shall be moving further inland in 6wks and although it isn't because of the gulls - it certainly is a huge bonus that there won't be any constant racket from them where I'm going LoL!
-
I don't live near the sea but I'm kept awake by seagulls all night and every night!
It's people's bad habits that cause this problem because they leave rubbish and half eaten food lying around. -
I have to agree about Debbie's lack of punctuation. I know the forum is about gulls, but it is very annoying to read text where there is bad spelling and wrong punctuation. Did she not go to school very often? When you say "cheer's for that", it should read cheers. No apostrophe, or where the word is plural.
Plus, it doesn't matter a jot if it's an anonymous post! -
I have a sneaky suspicion that the two twits ranting about grammar are one in the same, backing it's stupid comments up. May I suggest you, yourself and your well educated alter ego go post somewhere else. Nobody is interested in your twattish, know it all observations. If you are lonely and trawl forums just to correct grammar or point out other peoples mistakes, go look up smartarses.com. We don't need your validation, it's a forum ffs, not an English exam
-
From one of the twits...lol !!
-
I live in the centre of Edinburgh and its like living in a seagull colony, the noise is so bad, its the councils fault for not cleaning up the litter in the streets. we never use to have this problem when we had regular street cleaners. if the council would spend less on themselves and more on the city then the problem would go away.
-
for the two who like to jib me about my grammar, if only you knew the facts im a 39yr old female who is 80% blind and can hardly see the keyboard let alone the screen so let me appologise for my grammer, but if thats all you can do is pick on someone with a disability then you have a sadder life than me. also i thought this forum was about seagulls and not grammer, so feel free to keep having a dig at me and my grammer. i maybe dont have sight but i have a heart which is more than can be said for you two sad lonely people. my three year old son has more common decency than you do, but as i said feel free to say what you like ater all it is a free world, but i'd appreciate how you slag me of as i sometimes have to get my son to help me find the keys and read something's out to me so basically youre upsetting him also (hope youre proud)
-
@David Apps, I had a look at your website, didn't find a solution unless you expect ME to foot the bill by having your products fitted around my whole street and the 10 surrounding streets. That doesn't mean I am only here for the moan and TBH it is shocking that your customer service skills are so lacking, if that is the way you speak to customers who decide not to use your product. Think about the one person,who may join this tomorrow, see your first post, be interested, take a note of your website,read on a little bit and see the venom you spout because you didn't get a sale. I'm sure I would look for another company.
-
Couldn't agree more with @unintentional Insomniac, putting @David Apps products on just one roof is a waste of time and money, whilst putting them on many roofs just isn't going to happen.
If putting spikes on one roof would solve things then I'd do it today, sadly it's a massive problem which i don't think any council in the UK has managed to negotiate successfully.
Cardiff tried an egg replacement strategy which seemed to be quite good, tho I'd favour a cull of at least 70% of the birds.....never gonna happen tho.
-
I'd like to add my voice to this discussion. I live on North Street in Brighton and have done for the last 4 years. Seagulls have always made a racket but never anything enough to keep me up. Until this year. The little scallywags start honking wildly at around 1:30am and don't stop until about 8. It rises and falls in level, but when its loud there is no chance of sleeping at all. To make matters worse; the building that I live in is a converted department store and has awful ventilation, so in summer it's either sleep with the windows open or sweat up a storm in the bed.
Right now it's a choice between cool breeze but seriously annoying seagulls, or a night in a lovely oven room.
They're more annoying than the persistent torrent of abusive drunks that we hear every night on North St.
-
I, like Andy(5 sections up) live in Edinburgh and have not had a full nights sleep for a few weeks now. The gulls are going nuts around my estate in Longstone from before 4am till well into the morning. Apart from the filth left in the streets around here I think light also attracts them. I can see hundreds of them swarming above Saughton Prison during the night and eventually they make their way up to higher ground and perch on the tenaments in Redhall. I wonder if these hand held laser pointer lights would upset them?.. I also thought of soaking some cakes in cheap sherry, placing them on my garage roof and when they fall drunk to the ground I would call the Council to come and collect them. I'm sure they would do something about it then ?.....
-
re derek: the last time i got drunk on cheap sherry the council didn't come and collect me.. (sorry!)I am suffering the same problem as everyone here but a little levity does no harm.
-
last time i got drunk the council did come pick me up, well, not the council, the police :)
I've moved from Over Street where I tried to petition the council about the noise. I now live in a roof top flast on the sea front next to the pier... the noise is actually greatly reduced from the nesting area where i used to live. I live at glide height and am seriously considering a big fishing net and a large bbq. I have had several seaguls walk in through the french doors onto the roof top terrace and I can tell you grabbing a seagull by its feet and throwing it out is no mean feat.
I've given up on the noise problem basically, the council will not do anything, privately all you can do is hope to poisen the vermin but not the local cats or hire a hawk... the alabaster owls seem to work fairly well, but you need to cover an area several miles square...
community level action is whats needed here.
-
Some very good points made here. Its a big can of worms. Some people love the gulls, often they dont have the nests/noise/mess/aggression to deal with. They are no longer sea birds. 8 miles in land as LC posted. I have done gull proofing work over 25 miles inland. A girl with a gull in her hair, this has happend to my youngest on Brighton seafront. The council will not help, if you think thats right or wrong its fact. I could go on here for pages and pages but more info on facebook http://www.facebook.com/ home.php#!/ group.php?gid=121910274530921 or web site www.birdcontrolsussex.com
-
The council will not help,if its a council property they may help!the noise is deafening ,sleep deprevation as well which can lead to stress.there are alot of ways of dealing with this ,firstly you need to get other neighbours involved or go at it alone which depending on your property could be expensive,is any 1 nearby feeding them this is a major problem if they are!!!living in brighton ive seen it all,and their not seagulls thier landgulls.they have a menu of whatever you couldnt eat,and will eat nearly everything!!local help canbe had,the local man "jon the bird man "i belive with over 25yrs experince is the 1 for the job ,his guys have alot of care for the birds,as they are protected,but will put up all prevatations to try and keep the birds at bay.try them at "birdcontrolsussex.com
-
The council will not help,if its a council property they may help!the noise is deafening ,sleep deprevation as well which can lead to stress.there are alot of ways of dealing with this ,firstly you need to get other neighbours involved or go at it alone which depending on your property could be expensive,is any 1 nearby feeding them this is a major problem if they are!!!living in brighton ive seen it all,and their not seagulls thier landgulls.they have a menu of whatever you couldnt eat,and will eat nearly everything!!local help canbe had,the local man "jon the bird man "i belive with over 25yrs experince is the 1 for the job ,his guys have alot of care for the birds,as they are protected,but will put up all prevatations to try and keep the birds at bay.try them at "birdcontrolsussex.com
-
Update on my post of August 2010 from Longstone, Edinburgh....
The 2011 "Flying Rat" problem didn't seem quite as bad as the year before. However, 2012 and the “mutants” are back and just as bad as 2010.
I just called Pest Control @Edinburgh Council. I asked if the Council would put spikes on the roofs of the three tenaments where the majority of them sit. These buildings are occupied by a mix of private and Council tenants so right away the Council have an excuse not to get involved. Unsurprisingly, he said there was nothing they could do and suggested I got in touch with the RSPB. I told him I had already contacted them 2 years ago (after my last post) when my wife was attacked outside our house by a “flying rat” protecting one of its young, which was in a garden nearby. The RSPB could do nothing about it either and offered no advice other than just keep out of their way.
So, where do we go from here?…
Options now being considered after weeks of sleep depravation.
1. During the night, point an industrial strength laser pen at them (taking care to avoid their eyes and any aircraft that might be around).
2. Provide a daily buffet on the roof of my garage, consisting of sodium bicarbonate sandwiches & Smirnoff Trifle. 3. Hire a “Hit Man” with an air rifle to pick them off.
On a more serious note, this colony resides 4 miles from the sea. They are NOT sea birds, they are mutations of our creation. The fact is, we provide the environment for them to exist by allowing food to be left in the street. Its about time the Authorities admitted this and dealt with it before it gets worse.
Rant over…….
-
Two years have passed since my last post and things have got worse. The Seagulls have been back for around 3 months now and have tripled in population. Now their chicks have hatched and it's a screaming shitty mess. It's been lashing down for days and they are still out gving it laldy all night. What can be done? Seagullcide? x
-
I used to live in Cardiff: the city with the largest gull population in the UK. However, I never had a problem with them, thanks to measures taken by Cardiff council.
It's illegal to cause harm to seagulls (protected species), but the humane methods taken by the council helped a lot. What were these measures:
1) Egg replacement. Replacing real gull eggs with fake plastic ones. This prevents new eggs from being laid. Simply removing eggs or destroying nests doesn't help (they come back and build/lay again).
2) Sound machines. There were two types of machines in Cardiff that helped a lot. One was a bird scarer that used hunting calls to scare the birds. The other was the sound of gulls in distress. These didn't make a sounds often (every 15 minutes or so), were fairly quiet, and really did work.
Here's some information: http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk/ 2012/ 03/ 29/ council-issues-advice-to-deal-with-seagull-nuisance/
(I came here as I'm currently having gull problems in my new home, the Netherlands.)
-
Hi I live at Burgh st Peter on Norfolk/Suffolk border. I moved here 5 years ago and I agree the seagulls have got worse, unfortunatly there is a landfill site about a mile from where I live which attracts the 'flying rats' but they nest on a small business park just over the back of my garden. The noise is horrendous almost day and night, and I too have to sleep with my windows closed at night I cannot enjoy my garden in the summer due to the noise. I moved to the country for some peace annd quiet after having lived on a duel carriagway for nearly 20 years. I have contacted the people responsible for the landfill and they are not interested and neither are the council. The business park has gone into receivership (so I'm told) so they are not interested either. So all you 'guys and galls' out there (or should that be gulls.. ha ha) have my sympathy. Unless you've experienced the noise, mess, sleep deprivation etc you won't know what the rest of us are on about.
-
Living in Brighton Laines. Gotta agree the gulls are a complete nightmare. I am an animal lover, but these gulls are ruining lives. I have not slept through the night for 8 weeks. Starting at first light, they start, I have counted 2 or 3 hundred all circling and calling, then after maybe an hour or two they "settle" down on buildings nearby and randonly screech every time another gul comes near. Through the day they just argue and screech. Then in the evening not too bad, until maybe 4:30am and it starts all over again. In these narrow roads with small houses it is like the Hitchcock film "the Birds". If anybody defending the gulls are not believing the problem - spend a night in my spare room. Perhaps the council could be sued somehow - maybe for not looking after our human rights.
-
Playing this on a laptop appeared to quieten them down quite a bit for a little while:
Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8okPzxAjl0c
Non-lethal too.
-
Dear All,
Just read through these items (I'm similarly disturbed most mornings) and found this item - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ earth/ wildlife/ 4528416/ Sea-gulls-could-overrun-cities-if-given-protected-status.html
Apparently Herring Gulls have been protected status by the government at the bequest of the RSPB.
According to http://www.rspb.org.uk/ advice/ expert/ previous/ herringgullnests.aspx it states "Gulls, like all UK wild bird species, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it a criminal offence to kill, injure or take a gull; or to take, damage or destroy its nest whilst the nest is in use or being built. It is also a criminal offence to take or destroy their eggs.".
Sounds like this problem was expected and it looks like a job for the RSPB (and government) to resolve.
-
I've set up a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ brightonseagullnoise for people to discuss this. Perhaps we can come up with ideas to get some action on this?
-
Clearly, all we need do is enforce a new uniform for binmen, street sweepers and parking attendants: http://www.facemakersincorporated.com/ hawks_falcons.html
-
I have undertaken research on Herring (and similar) gulls and have now read hundreds of reports locally and globally including scientific studies from orthnithologits, evironmental experts and bio-diversity specialists. I live in Peacehaven. I conclude the following: The Herring Gull population is exploding in all countries where they naturally occur. They are multiplying rapidly in both urban and coastal areas with urban migration being a relatively recent trend occuring over the last 25 years or so in the UK. The information held by DEFRA and the RSPB is now out of date as it relies upon a Survey known as Seabird with statistics based on numbers in 2000/02. No up to date surveys of gulls exists in this country. DEFRA have placed the herring gull on the "red list" as being endangered in the belief that the Herring Gull is in decline. My research shows the opposite is true. Research in the US, Meditteranean region, Baltic Region, and the South Atlantic off Argentina shows that gulls are now a threat to other species and are placing many species (and flora), such as terns and puffins and smaller gulls in the endangered list. Recent reports in the news show how gulls are attacking Whales and pecking at their flesh as they breach for air. The Herring Gull (and similar) has no natural predators and large numbers will gang up on hawks and even eagles and run them off. I have examined reports from local government from around the country (e.g. Bristol, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester, Birmingham, London, Carlilet, Tiverton, Brighton, Cheltenham, Gwynedd, Scarborough, North London) and all report significant growth in the number of herring gulls. The Southwest Regional Health Authority have recently issued a warning that the population explosion in gulls is now a threat to public health. Symtoms caused by gull overpopulation and increasing aggressiveness include, depression, anxiety, physical injury and threat of e.coli infections (http://www.swpho.nhs.uk/ resource/ item.aspx?RID=24280 ). Beaches in Chicago have been closed due to e.coli resulting from masses of gulls coating the sand with excrement. There are dozens of recent reports in the national press featuring attacks against humans that would amount to GBH had they been perpetrated by a human being. As the gulls grow in number they seem to be growing in aggression as competition for space increases. Thus, the herring gull is growing into an epidemic both here and abroad, is threating health and safety, is a threat to other wildlife and DEFRA are doing nothing about it. Locals to Brighton will have read in the ress how some are taking the law into their own hands and shooting the gulls. Local wildlife sanctuaries are taking lost seagull chicks in and feeding them ready to let them loose and your neighbors are feeding them. All of this needs to stop as it is making a bad situation worse. DEFRA needfs to remove the protection order, make feeding gulls an ASBO offense, issue local goverment with tear-proof rubbish bags and begin culling/mass egg oiling before they wipe out other bird life, especially the puffins and terns who are being more than decimated on a few offsore Islands on our coast. DEFRA need to work with the US equivalentg as they are much further along in their research and understanding of how big a threat the Herring (and similar) gull is to or bio-diversity given the lack of natural pedators and their abilithy to dominate other species so easily by sheer weight of numbers. I would advise any who read this to Google away and writge to your MP urging him/her to put pressure on DEFRA to act.
-
I live in Bristol I have this too haven't slept for over a week. The seagulls shout all night and attack me in the mornings when I go out.
-
I sympathise with each and every one of you here having a problem with seagulls. I live just metres from the sea and have them nesting on my roof every year. My (stupid) cat has tried to attack one of the baby's this year so the mummy gull is now in attack mode whenever we, or the cat, are in the garden. Their numbers up here in the North east are definitely getting larger, I've lived here all of my life and I've never seen so many nesting on roofs. I have thought about the roof spikes before but unless the whole street took the same action, I don't see it would be of benefit. I'm leaving the UK soon, to live in my husbands country for a few months, as I do every year so I'll get away from the gulls :) however I swap them for another pest - blooming pigeons! :( they nest on the empty apartment balconies where we live, so I've got no escape, but at least pigeons don't attack.
-
I've discovered they really don't like lasers being shone at or near them. The simple presentation pens that emit a small beam are very effective. They fly off pretty quickly.
Okay, so it's probably not going to solve the infestation we're suffering under, but it is satisfying being able to annoy them back!
-
We live up in tyne and wear in a place called hebburn. Its a housing estate 8 miles from the sea and they are becoming a real pest around and on our houses, breaking aerials and dirting all over. I think the council should do something about this but also at the same time people should stop throwing food out if they have put to much on their plates. they are starting to wake us up in the area at about 5am. we do go to work and have full time jobs so it becomes a bit to much for us. FC you sound like you know the answer to everything about it not affecting you. You probs don't even work or maybe don't want to work so why should it bother you. You must walk around with poo on your tops. We don't as we are having to rewash all the time as putting our clothes on the washing lines is a no go. Get in the real life FC
-
What a retarded comment... I probably don't work or don't want to work? BAAAHAHAHAHA! SAYS THE NORTHERNER! "OH NO THE MINES HAVE CLOSED. BETTER SIT AROUND AND WHINE ABOUT THE BLOODY TORIES INSTEAD OF CREATE SOME NEW OPPORTUNITIES"
Don't like seagulls? Don't live near the coast.
-
I live in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, and I have lived here all my life. My whole family live here. There is NO option of moving away.
In the summer months, like many have said, its either window open and be woken at around 4am with a unbearable racket, or window closed and sweat out half your body weight overnight.
Im wondering FC, are u woken up every night by these pests? Imagine if you had a large alarm in your bedroom going off from 4am until you eventually get up, and you were not fortunate enough to be able to afford to move away and take your familily with you, what would you do? Would you not like to get some help for your very stressfull and clearly detrimental situation?
This is all these people here are wanting.
-
I don`t live in Brighton but would just like to confirm the comments people are making about noisy gulls nesting in cities. I live in Drammen, Norway`s 7th largest city, and I have lived here all my life. From 1974 to about 2007-08 I can barely remember hearing a single seagull at any time in the city. It isn`t really on the coast either, but lies at the bottom of a deep fjord, so apart from landfills you wouldn`t really expect gulls around here. But for the last six or seven summer more and more gulls have started nesting on the rooftops around town, carrying on with their ungodly racket at all conceivable hours of the day and night. I would estimate a population downtown of about 500 individuals, usually sitting in pairs on chimneys screaming their long, drawn out wails before going silent for about 20 seconds and then doing it all over again. And again, and again until a person is driven to nervous breakdown. Apparently they live on a diet of trash, vomit from drunk people at the weekends, kebab remains and newspapers (true, I saw one eat newspapers once). So the unfortunate guinea pigs of our local government`s Seagull breeding experiment (me and everybody else living in this city) have taken to calling them Kebabgulls, to go with our classic Kebabpigeons.
Http://www.treider.no/media/42897/istock_000017889105small.jpg
Cozy looking isn`t it? Well it`s not, since from March till October there are gulls. Hundreds and hundreds of nesting gulls.
Anyway, I can comfort the people of Brighton by letting you know that like your council our local commune (True, they really call them that in Norway. Some people have no shame) has also distinguished itself by doing absolutely nothing about the problem for all these years. This again leads to a worsening situation as the gulls become more confident that there really is no danger in nesting on human populations, and so more and more of them do. I agree with the statements that these urban Kebabgulls are somehow now mutating into a hostile and ornery species totally out of its natural habitat and by any sensible definition of the word a pest and health hazard. The problem isn`t the gulls really, it`s where they think it`s OK to nest. Non nesting gulls aren`t as noisy, which is what I`ve learned from our ongoing infestation.Traditionally they have been nesting on cliffs and what have you, and if some less insane gulls are still doing that then I see no reason why local representatives (That`s right. They work for us, presumptively.) can`t hire a couple of knuckledraggers to walk around town with an air gun each until the place is quiet again. It would take a day or two and the problem would be gone. After that we can discuss Kebabgull ethics with people like FC until the cows come home. At least we have chance to be rested when we listen to the drivel. And let`s just for a second pretend that these wildly breeding things are somehow "endangered" when you can hardly set foot outside without being dive bombed by one. Let`s gather themk all up and shuip them back to more natural settings away from human population centers. Or we can build artificial bird walls on the properties of gull rights activists so all the gulls can nest there. And we can help them keep the gulls happy by shipping all our kebab remains and vomit there as well, so they`ll be good and stocked and can keep their gulls through the winter. I think this would be fixed in a hurry if the people pretending to make decisions actually had to live with this crap themselves, so let`s make that our goal and call it "conservation" to disarm them:) Have a good summer, from Earplug City Norway.
-
Its five to four in the morning in Llanelli south wales, have been wide awake for over one hour, the noise of the seagulls on the roof opposite is deafening. This problem is everywhere now. If I am honest I think its high time for a cull.
-
Ive been living in barcelona for about 3-4 years, right next to the sea, and the problem simply doesnt exist. It was a memory how awful these birds made my life in brighton. A cull is required. Although i dont remember fully, i remember enough to be sad. Ie: being awake constantly
-
Ive been living in barcelona for about 3-4 years, right next to the sea, and the problem simply doesnt exist. It was a memory how awful these birds made my life in brighton. A cull is required. Although i dont remember fully, i remember enough to be sad. Ie: being awake constantly
-
I live in Blackpool and I have to say I don't have any problems at all,even though the seagulls nest on our roofs.Maybe we should concentrate on educating people not to discard half eaten food on the streets and so on,and so on, I'm sure you get my drift,just a thought.
-
Seagull noise has never bothered me or my wife. I have lived in St Ives in Cornwall, Sidmouth, Broadstairs and Ramsgate. They nested on the roof and also roosted in great numbers. We love birds especially seagulls which may be an advantage in our case but I think it is a question of acceptance, like most things in life and seeing the beauty in nature and not constantly fighting it. I do not understand people who wage a war against nature. How often do I see young children kicking out at pigeons and not corrected by their parents who actually encourage them. My advice is to try listening to the seagulls and their incredible range of calls and not block them out, then they might send you to sleep. Birds are spiritual to the extreme - no axe to grind - they just get on with their lives as they have since time immemorial unlike us who are slowly destroying the planet
-
I can't believe this thread is still alive. It's like saying you want to live above a great music venue but then complain when you move in... oh wait
Anyway, the SEASIDE comes with SEAGULLS. I said it once, I'll say it again; if you DON'T LIKE the SEAGULLS, DON'T live BY THE SEA.
-
Some of you people are such disappointment; naturally we all like living by the shore but situation here is not normal - the size of their colony is not normal, or the fact that the charm is gone when you are up in the middle of the night (and going to work on the next day). Do not be ridiculous and turn this into "move further in land if you don't like the seaside". Just because to you 100 or 1000 birds makes no difference, that does not mean that I have no right to voice my opinion here.
-
I can't open my bedroom window because I was robbed by a seagull. It came on to the windowsill and took irreplaceable items. Also they recently irradiated every other bird species on our street by ripping them apart alive. Now all we have is thousands of the evil things and a town that looks like a landfill site. WE NEED A CULL.
-
I have been in the Bird Pest Control industry for 25 years and live in Sussex. I've heard it all...I've seen it all...I've been attacked...i've saved young chicks..I've taken injured gulls to a vet..and I've rescused for re-homing adolescent gulls that fallen off roofs. SO...what do we do? there are many deterrents on the market that we install. But what do they achieve? The gulls are now NOT on your roof, but move to the neighbour's roof the following year. Mr Cameron has said that £1m will be available to carry out a survey on the urban Gull issues !! Oh yes? This has all come to light because of the dog that was killed in Cornwall. I would suggest that a gull chick had taken it's first flight and landed in a garden, maybe taking cover. the dog went to investigate ans was attacked by the parents. Any human would want to protect their baby, but not necessarily carry out murder !! A cull is being suggested. The only methods available would be shooting, poisoning, breaking eggs or oiling eggs. Shooting = firearms/police etc. poisoning = who wants a dying gull landing in their garden?. breaking eggs = you have to do this on a regular basis as the gulls will just lay again! oiling eggs = will keep the gulls quieter, but the eggs won't hatch. Oiling would perhaps seem the best answer to control numbers....but it's going to take a VERY long time! Bird Control Sussex provide a free survey of your property, depending on distance and give a quote for suggested works. John
-
@FC Like the other people posting your baseless opinions as fact here you obviously have no understanding of what we`re talking about: 48 hour bouts of deafening screams, having to sleep with the windows shut through summer because of the constant noise from April to October. It is a health hazard and above all these are not normal seagulls: They are nesting, ie they think the city is a seagull colony. There is a good reason why coastal villages have traditionally not been placed right next to seagull colonies because you can`t sleep at night in them if you do. These are incompatible species. If I was to suggest to you that I come to your home and start raising hippos there would you be OK with that? I mean it`s wildlife right? And unlike gulls they actually are endangered. No? Then you`re a hypocrite. Cities are for humans, not nesting seabirds. like I said above, if you love seagulls so much we can ship them all to where you live. And we can ship our vomit, kebab and trash there too so you`ll have plenty of feed for them. Don`t insist on doing this pathetic pest conservation in other people`s homes. Ruin your own life if you want and leave the rest of us alone.
@Mr Butler. Poison is the appropriate response to pest problems. All this dilly dallying with fake eggs etc doesn`t work. It`s what the incompetents in my local "authorities" have been doing for the last decade and the infestation gets worse and worse every year. The problem is that because of airheads like FC the gulls are being left alone in human population centers when they should be killed off as soon as the first one tries to nest there. The result of that is that they have learned that it is safe to nest there when it shouldn`t be.
So since there is such apathy and incompetence on the issue here vigilante activities are taking place instead. Local business owners are distributing rat poison in secret because they are losing customers to all the noise. Ideally eagles should be released in town to hunt them. That alone would be enough to at least keep them quiet. Until then poison will have to do.
-
Lying here awake again since 5am. Again. Need to move away from the coast you say? I'm in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham city centre.
-
Eagles! Eagles would be a great solution. Or Hawks! I was up most of last night again - this happens for about 9 months of EVERY year for at least the last 5 years. Yes, we live by the seaside. Yes, we love it here. Yes, we hate the gulls. Our council, in its wisdom, a few years ago stopped the culling or collection of seagull eggs here - because of monetary cutbacks imposed by the Government. The result is that here, as in many place, the seagull population is SPIRALLING. If each bird lives up to 40 years, say, and each pair produces 2 babies a year, which seems to be the average - that's an awful lot more seagulls in just 5 years, never mind more. Here, in a small seaside town in the North of England, we have food stolen from people's hands, cars parked outside constantly covered with their filthy shit, washing can't be hung outside or it will also be covered. Tourists are saying they don't want to come back after their sleep, hairstyles or even cars are spoiled by the birds. And the noise. And just think. ALL those extra birds - they will all need to EAT. That's why they are becoming more aggressive. It's been proved that they go by SIGHT. They can learn new tricks, and often have one more aggressive bird in a group, who will go first, knock the food out of someone's hand, so that the whole gang can then feast on your fish and chips. They are nothing but RATS, FLYING RATS. Why are we not poisoning them? If it were legal I certainly would be. I've spent so many of my sleepless nights fantasizing about killing seagulls. This plague is bad for people - how many people's sleep is badly disturbed by gulls now? Lack of sleep causes all kinds of ill health.
Eve
-
We are in 2016 in the United kingdom, a country that markets itself as world super power. People cannot sleep. I had to move house and got zero support from the council. I was even criticized for my choice to rent in central Brighton. I moved in hove where there are less nests because there are less rubbish exposed.
Council is here only to collect the tax and copy/paste the law that these wild animals are protected. I am originally from a country with 3k+ islands and loads of seagulls, yet the council told me I should expect this behavior from the seagulls and this type of nuisance in ANY seaside resort.
What I'm learning from my 7 years residency in the Great Britain is that I have no true rights in receiving any real support, regardless if I'm paying my taxes. Only my money is good here. As such, I have recently withdrew myself from any activity that would bring benefits to the society (i.e. I used to do volunteer work in WWT Arundel). Instead I shall concentrate all my energy and time on generating more profit by always using legal ways but shouldn't really care about any ethical aspects.
Thank you Great Britain for teaching me the value of acting in an individualistic manner and be selfish - after all, no one will care about me so why should I care about society environment and all that crap. All it really matters (especially when you don't hold the local nationality) is how big are my bank accounts balances as, the bigger they are the more dignity and prestige I can add to my lifestyle.
-
I live right by the sea, opposite it in fact. I have done so for many years. The seagulls are noisy in the summer months til around 10.30pm, and start up again around 3.30am...I can honestly say it doesn't worry me one bit. Firstly, FC is right; the seaside isn't an appropriate residence for individuals who loathe the noise of these glorious birds. Ultimately, humankind has created this problem by creating a dirty, rubbish strewn environment. All animals - including humans! - are opportunistic, and you cannot blame the gulls for taking advantage of this. For example, the imbeciles who put there black rubbish bags out the day before collection - it's these fools you should be admonishing. Secondly, who is mankind to dictate who/what inhabits their environment?; Why should we take precedence over other species? I was dumbfounded by a comment made by an individual above, stating 'cities are for people, not gulls'! Maybe if humankind didn't encroach on other species natural habitats, and as a result affect their natural food source(s) a lot of these 'manmade' problems would not exist. I love gulls. They are majestically beautiful, intelligent birds. They are incredible parents, mate for life, and have every right to inhabit the same environment as ourselves. I would suggest that - as I am in the 'same boat' as yourselves- that you become a little bit more tolerant to nature and take the time to appreciate these magnificent birds. I would also like to point out it is a criminal offence to deliberately harm a seagull, or destroy a nest. I have my windows open at night. I also have a fan on in warmer weather. Yes, the noise during the breeding months is loud, but my God, I'd rather hear the gulls than the drunken idiots who loiter around the beach shouting and screaming throughout the early hours. Maybe we should suggest a cull of these anti-social buffoons....but then again culls don't work do they.
-
MBall, So according to what you are saying, that if wild wolves or to be really stupid tigers or any wild beast wanted to occupy one of our cities then we should just tolerate them? Come up to the north of Scotland and try visiting a Gull colony and see how tolerant they are of you.
-
Oh Andrew, you foolish little man; none of the species you mention are indigenous. If you are wondering what this word means - I'll help you out, so you needn't grab your dictionary. They are not native to the British isles, and quite frankly, your argument is rather preposterous. Seagulls may have expanded territory but, as I have already pointed out, this is a direct result of humankind. Isn't it really rather sad and pathetic (and I mean it in the literal sense) that you are so worked up over a bird.
-
MBall. Why all the aggression? I seem to have offended you somehow. I would suggest that you stop making comments if you can’t handle other people’s comments. Wolves were indigenous (you will of course correct me if I am using the word incorrectly) to the UK. When you reply to this comment, please try to make it civil.
-
If it's any consolation MBall I am equally dumbfounded by your drivel. Cities are for humans because they were built by humans, for humans to live in, not noisy, invasive seabirds. i don;t go live in beaver dams and bird colonies and I would appreciate it if it were the other way round as well. Your "beautiful and majestic birds" are pests, living on garbage, and in my case no seabirds at all because their ancestors came from the local landfill and moved because of the local "authorities'" "conservationism" there. By covering up the landfill to "save the environment" they forced the thousands of trashgulls living there to move into town to subsist on trash, vomit and kebab remains during weekends. They are not seabirds anymore.
I am not blaming your stupid birds. I am blaming incompetent local authorities for not dealing with a major pest problem in my city. No matter how much vapid poetry you write on this subject that is what they are. Pests. Like rats or lice. And pests should be killed off, end of story.
-
It's 4:09sm here in Blackpool and they have yet again woke me and my whole house up. I do not live near the sea shore and they drive us all mad. Also my partner works in Poulton which is even further inland and they are rampant on her work building. Why they are called seagulls now i don't know as they live nowhere near the sea.
I also cannot stand human beings who have some sort of perverse attraction to these vermin and you can bet your life these seagul lovers do not live in an area where they make noise in the early house or sh*t their corrosive vile all over your car every single day or get aggressive with you because your house is near their nest on the roof of a neighbouring house. Don't get me started on the bin bag destruction which thanks to seagul proof bags has been contained somewhat but still they persist in our area.
This is a growing problem and seagulls are protected by an out of date law which isn't keeping with the times as they have breeder and become a major nuisance.
I'm half tempted to leave out some bread mixed with rat poison (to use as a deterrent for rats) and I believe that will destroy the the vermin. If they happen to come into my garden and steal this bait for rats then I will consider that theft from the said vermin will auffer a quick demise and I will finally be able to get some sleep again.
This is out of control and the law should protect us from these annoying creatures, instead it protects them yet if I go out in the early hours, crap on people's cars and shout my head of and wake everyone up I'm pretty sure the boys in blue will be coming to lock me in a cell for the night for my anti social behaviour.
This needs to stop now and seagulls need to be culled in certain areas.
-
SeagullVermin and to all those that feel these birds are an issue, you and I really need to understand there's nothing to expect from anyone. The council will only take care of rubbish in the posh and expensive streets, they don't really care what I or you with your British surname says. As I already wrote, in this country it only matters your bank account.
If we want to find peace from this genuine nuisance (birds are singing, seagulls are just screaming and I can't see any beauty or majesty on that), we have some options. We can either kill them in an unintended way (your example with the rat trap is a great attemp!), as the council told me ' you cannot harm them intentionall', so all it matters is what you can prove not the mere act itsel! Or we could do things to increase the balance of our bank account; that way we will earn council's respect and they will clean the rubbish from our street too. Being a foreigner I choose the second option. I will walk on top of everyone's body, I will grass all my colleagues, I will steal from the weak at every opportunity but within the line of the law, and any other act that will generate profit for me.
In other words, for as long as I'm residing in this island I will do whatever it takes to make as much money as possible regardless any ethical conflicts; I will only take care to he within the law. This is the only way to survive in this country with some dignity and sanity.
I have no negative feelings/thoughts for any British man or woman - political and financial figures are an exception. But the country itself is a joke. It's been marketed as a world super power and people can't even sleep. People can't save (and have dignity at the same time). People can only work, travel to and from work, and pay taxes and bills. Oh, and drink alcohol as if there's no tomorrow. During my first year as a taxpayer I felt better than my home country. I was seeing developments, nice initiatives for socializing etc. Having spent more than 6 year now fully integrated into the UK lifestyle (with the exception of the TGIF concept and the British cuisin), I can sensibly argue this is not the case. The new buildings I see are all made in a rush and cheap way; a building of 2011 today suffers from damages due to humidity...The socializing events are in order to engage lonely people, but why so many people are alone? Why the grandparents are living in care houses, while they have dedicated half their lives to raise kids? what are these kids do? Putting their work career as top priority and family, health and so on go second.
Going back to the seagulls, since people are operating in such an individual manner, why do we expect any help from the council? What will the council earn by cleaning our street?
Therefore, people in this country need to start be more proactive and apply their thinking. I understand the hand of law is long and the law is strict, but the lawmakers are living luxurious lives and don't suffer from their laws. As such, we either become lawmakers ourselves, or we violate their laws to the best of our ability so that we resolve our issue without creating new ones for us or our surroundings/neighbours.
Best of luck with your efforts. As for those who call these birds 'majestic' you really need to justify your view otherwise you offend the term 'majesty'.
-
I live in Plymouth and the problem has become progressively worse over the years. The aggression from protective parents has risen as the population of Gulls has increased, which is inevitable when the fight for resources intensifies amongst the Gulls. I've twice been divebombed this week and been subject to vomit / excrement attacks. Im writing this at 6 am having been awake since 3 thanks to their cacophony of noise which only quietened for about 3 hours over the course of the night. I won't be going to work as I simply can't function. Only this week a girl in St Ives, Cornwall suffered severe back injuries when attacked by Gulls. I abhore violence to animals but I think that local authorities need to accept that this is a problem that is spiralling out of control year by year and employ humane means of preventing them nesting in built up areas
-
We have a lot of seagulls in Cheltenham too. Very noisy and bully the other birds. I'd much prefer pigeons to take over the area than gulls. Maybe they are spy birds reporting back to GCHQ.
-
I live in Whitstable where 5 years ago there were no gulls nesting in my street. The problem is recent and due to human interference and stupidity. I have come to the conclusion after 3 summers of serious sleep loss, that the people in my street who are not bothered by seagull noise are either: partially deaf, or, insomniac so that being woken at 4am 'doesn't bother' them. This opinion was also given to me by a second homer who only weekends here and is self employed, so presumably can nap in the day to catch up on lost sleep. The retired folk here can do the same, and they are also the ones feeding them despite reasoned protest from working neighbours who are currently ragged with lack of sleep. I holiday in a seaside town in Portugal each summer where I am not kept awake by seagulls. A fishing town much like the one I live in in the uk simply does not have a problem with nesting gulls. This is because the Portuguese people do not feed them or encourage them to be scavengers. I know they would regard this a highly stupid, the thought simply wouldn't cross their minds. This feeding also encourages their violent behaviour. I'd say the people meddling in the lives of wild birds by encouraging them to be scavengers should be fined by the council. The council have done nothing to educate people into not feeding the gulls. Canterbury city council have done precisely nothing. People who are blinded by sentimentality towards these birds and who persistently feed them are the real problem (along with litter and rubbish being available to scavenge from). I've got no interest in hearing from people who arent bothered by the noise and think they are magnificent birds while inhabiting urban areas, crapping on and attackig residents. Magnificent they are when out at sea and nesting in rural areas ' not in urban areas where a gulls cry is designed to be heard miles away.
-
We have the same problem in Hastings. They sit on my next door neighbour's roof (right next to my window) and squawk at 4-5am. Green laser pointers (only a couple of quid from Chinese sellers) frighten them off. This gets rid of them - but doesn't work if you don't have line of sight to them. Obviously this only works at dusk or at night.
-
I have been awake for 35 years because of seagull noise and have never slept an hour in my life. I am now a zombie and eat seagulls for every meal as payback, (starting to taste like chicken now) I also make my clothes out of seagull feathers. Glad I could help.
-
Longstone, Edinburgh, 6 years on... The chicks that hatched in 2010 are now fully breeding adult FLYING RATS! . There are potentially 10 perfect nesting sites which are on top of 5 tenements in the Redhall estate in Longstone. The noise, day and night have got out of hand. The mess on washing, cars and Windows is also worse than ever. I,m sick of it and have given up with Edinburgh Council. The Environmental Health department of the Council are experts at passing the buck. The excuse they use for not removing the nests are "the tenements are occupied by a mixture of private and Council tennents". They want the private residents to sort out the nest removal and then claim the Council tennents share. Very convenient for them but logistically this would be a nightmare. There are so many obstacles in the way ( nationwide) of solving this horrendous problem. Whether you are a bird lover or not, the fact is, this problem will need to be tackled sooner or later. They are becoming a serious threat to other bird species and environmental health. My personal opinion is, these urban gulls (that don't even know where the sea is ), need to be re classified as vermin and dealt with in the same way as rats. Rant over.......
-
Longstone, Edinburgh, 6 years on... The chicks that hatched in 2010 are now fully breeding adult FLYING RATS! . There are potentially 10 perfect nesting sites which are on top of 5 tenements in the Redhall estate in Longstone. The noise, day and night have got out of hand. The mess on washing, cars and Windows is also worse than ever. I,m sick of it and have given up with Edinburgh Council. The Environmental Health department of the Council are experts at passing the buck. The excuse they use for not removing the nests are "the tenements are occupied by a mixture of private and Council tennents". They want the private residents to sort out the nest removal and then claim the Council tennents share. Very convenient for them but logistically this would be a nightmare. There are so many obstacles in the way ( nationwide) of solving this horrendous problem. Whether you are a bird lover or not, the fact is, this problem will need to be tackled sooner or later. They are becoming a serious threat to other bird species and environmental health. My personal opinion is, these urban gulls (that don't even know where the sea is ), need to be re classified as vermin and dealt with in the same way as rats. Rant over.......
-
Kirkcaldy high street. Avoid like the plague or find yourself in Hell. I live between two shopping centres, both with nesting birds on top. So I can net or spike my roof to within an inch of its life and I'll still be living on their flight path. They have babies now, all along the roofs of surrounding shops. You should hear it out there at night. High pitched squeaking babies. Answering screaming adults. And through the day, when heaven forbid humans want to shop, they go nuts. And since people tend to wander along late at night too, the screaming is pretty much 24/7. Add in the screaming drinks at weekends and the daily wailing day-long buskers and I seriously am verging on suicidal. And neither police, nor Council nor environmental health give a damn. My only ambition is to figure out how I can get the Hell away from here.
To say it's living beside the sea and therefore tough, is a heap of BS. I have just come from a village on the north west of Scotland where I was living at the top of the beach and barely saw a gull let alone heard any screaming.
And AZ I completely understand. I came here meaning to integrate, get to know the "community" and contribute in a positive way. There IS no community! Nobody gives a damn.
-
Why are so many people saying move away from the sea if they don't like the seagulls, The bloody noisy things are in tottenham notlrth London for Christ sake!!! I get woken up by them around 4am -5am Then I'm listening to them all day at work in London... so there's no point moving away us there... they're even in an area where there's no sea !!!!
-
How the hell is this thread STILL ongoing, almost 10 years later? Grow up, people. It's just a few birds. Unless they're killing your babies or setting fire to your car, there's nothing you can do about it.
-
I moved away... to Worthing which is by the sea. It's way quieter. The gulls still nest nearby but nowhere near the quantity, it's extremely noticeable the difference, which leads me to suspect that the food availability in Brighton must be so much better from the gulls perspective. also, as the experts say, they keep returning for thirty years which just means an increasing population, unless other methids are used to scare them away or cull them the problem in Brighton will only get worse. However In Worthing, it's lovely, and the sea smells better and the beaches are better and the atmosphere is better and the housing is way way cheaper :)
-
Dear UWOTM8 The fact that the thread has gone on for this length of time and that people post currently proves it is a widespread problem that is being ignored. The people who post are caused upset and distress by it hence their reasons for posting. You on the other hand, do NOT have this problem but have been wasting your time and years checking the thread anyway. Seems like you have quite a problem there of your own! Though obviously, it's not a real problem, since none of the rest of us suffer from it. Duh!
-
Nearly 280,000 people in Brighton & Hove, yet the same 8 posters on here? OMG IT'S SO WIDESPREAD.
Yeah, no.
-
People in Brighton, people in London, people in Fife.....
This report is now closed to updates from the public. You can make a new report in the same location.